Mirrors of Link
by Kyla Swann
Summary: Link now isn't the only Hero fighting to save Hyrule from Ganondorf, as a long lost friend from his past rises to help the oncoming battle ... but of course, nothing goes quite how it should ...
1. The Awakening

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognise is not owned by me ^_^**

The morning sun fingered its rays over the sleepy village of Ordon, the early mist playing around the ground as one by one, the villagers awoke; sleep clawing the corners or their eyes, the light streaming in through closed shutters.  
One particular girl – Beth, flung herself out of bed in a vague attempt to wake herself up, her feet landing upon the dusty wooden floor, waking up her father.

'Go to sleep Beth … it's too early…' A groan was uttered from the bunk above hers.

'Da-ad! Come on … it's morning!' There was a faintish mutter from the girl's father, but she took no notice, flinging her head out of the window by her bed, basking in the beauty of the new day, but there is was … a strange but familiar noise … what was it?  
'Dad! Can you hear that? What is it?' No reply. Like she had expected more … she placed her head back out the window and there it was again … that noise, a horse's neigh! Epona! The horse of someone she knew so well …  
'DAD! Epona's here! LINK'S BACK!' She practically jumped out of the window, but stopped herself, straightening out her pyjamas, flinging a coat over the top in an attempt to hide them, running with her small feet out of the door.  
'Going out!' She shouted over her shoulder, running onto the grass outside her house, scanning with her eyes to find Link, she walked a few paces further, a figure stood by the river … something in his arms …  
'LINK! HELLOOOO!' The figure jumped so violently he dropped what he was holding, something bright orange, an armful of pumpkins in the river and they began to float away from him.

'Damn!' said a harsh voice – not Link's.

'Mayor Bo?' Beth asked, walking closer, looking up into the face of the Mayor,  
'Oops … I am so sorry…' She stared down at her feet in shame.  
'Do you want me to get them for you?' The Mayor shook his head and sighed, reaching down to pick some more pumpkins that were growing near his feet. Then over her shoulder, somebody jumped, a flash of green robes, a spike of blonde hair, a spark of purple hued eyes …

'LIIIIIINK!'

'BETHANY!' The mayor roared, dropping another armful of pumpkins at his feet, annoyance rising in his face, he had not seen the hero in the water, but merely turned his back and stormed off towards his house.

'Link?' The girl called staring into the depths of the river, deep underneath, brushing along the riverbed was a person in green, their foot tangled in a strand of weed! Link thrashed about, his arms flying in all directions … he was going to die!  
'LINK LINK! HELP! LINK'S IN TROUBLE! SOMEONE HELP!' Beth jumped up and down on the spot, her eyes marked with tears, then another person! Once again jumping over her shoulder, this time someone in blue wearing an outfit made of … scales?

He or she swallow dived into the blue waters arms stretched forwards, untangling the weed in a matter of seconds. The two people resurfaced, one in blue, the other in green, and swam towards the shore. Beth ran over, pulling them both out with her tiny hands.  
'Link?' He looked up at her; to her surprise he was the one in blue! She peered into the face of the other one, he or she looked like Link … but there was something different … they both got to their feet, coughing up water, before finally lifting up the green clothed person lifted their head and said:

'Thanks Link …' In a feminine voice … a girl? 'You must be Beth, I presume?' She smiled at Beth, her purple eyes gleaming with the reflection of the shimmering water. Beth nodded, completely lost for words.

'W-who are you?'

'Me? I am the one, the only Aryll! The female Hero of time! Sister of the …' She stopped to clear her throat and look uneasily at her brother,  
'Talkative Link? Maybe not…' She swung the weapon around her head, smiling as it caught the light and reflected it over the heads of the three figures. Link, water dripping from the tips of his wet hair, slung his sword from his back, holding it towards the sun in the same position as his sister. She huffed with annoyance at him.

'Yours is longer than mine.' She turned away from him slightly, pulling her sword back and launching it through the air like an arrow, it flew extremely fast, and with precision it shot through a bee's nest type thing that was hanging from the tree, causing it to fall to the ground.  
'Look what I learned to do brother!' She smiled at him with half of her mouth, a happy grin. Link shrugged, pulling a bow from his back, knocking an arrow, aimed and fired, it hit the bee's nest, which spilt perfectly into five pieces.  
'Show off.' Aryll muttered, walking away slightly. Beth laughed at both of them, smiling a childish smile.

'I didn't know there were two of you! Even better! You can go and save Ilia together!'

'Ilia? What's wrong with her?' Aryll asked, concern in her voice, looking towards Beth, whilst keeping her other eye on Link to see his reaction.

'Another monster came the other night! A big grey wolf! Dragged her away screaming! Poor girl…' Aryll's eyes lit up like fire, she grabbed Link by the scruff of his robes and dragged him away from Beth, towards the poor destroyed bee's nest.

'You don't think I came to find you for nothing do you?' She half snarled,  
'I came to tell you something, well two things! I know about your wolf form and I want to know why you dragged Ilia away!' Link's eyes widened in her grip, as she dropped him into the mud at her feet.  
'And another thing, come here!' She walked around the back of Beth's house, away from the view of the rest of the village, and promptly transformed into a lynx. Link took one look at his sister and fainted. She shook her head and re-formed, picking up the head of her brother and placing it on her lap.

'I'm sorry about this.' She looked deep into his open blank eyes, and slapped round the head really hard, so a deep _thunk_ could be heard by Beth. Link's mouth dropped open and he came round, massaging the side of his head with his hand.  
Aryll ran lightly over to her sword and attempted to yank it from the tree, only it wouldn't budge. A branch fell from the plant and landed with a loud _smack_ on the roof of the house beneath the it, the door to which opened and out came Fado, a male villager who kept himself to himself.

'Aryll! How nice to see you again! Sword stuck hey?' He asked, climbing towards Aryll, oddly a sword sheath was upon his back, out of which protruded a hilt, encrusted with bright shimmering jewels, like one hundred fairies, glittering in the weak sunlight.  
Aryll couldn't help drawing a breath, her fingers slacking upon the hilt of her own sword.  
'I knew you would return, so I made this for you …' He reached behind his back, and yes! Removed the sword from its hilt and placed it in her hands, it felt light, beautiful, like holding a soft pile of feathers inf her fingers, she swung it around and admired how it caught the light, a grin spreading across her feminine face like wildfire.  
'Here, take the sheath too,' He fastened it around her back, she aimed the sword forward and chopped the tree trunk in front of her into several pieces, causing her old sword to fall at her feet … but also for the tree to slowly fall down.

'Oops …' She muttered as the wood creaked and landed with a _BANG_ against the grass to her right.  
'Um … yeah … that was supposed to happen!' Link walked behind the two, laughing with mirth at the fallen tree, dressed too in his green robes.  
They could have almost been twins, Link and Aryll, the same face, the same eyes; you would not know that two years separated them.

'Farewell, Aryll, Link.' Fado bowed to the both of them, before scuttling back into his house, Aryll held her sword out towards her brother.

'Get yours out, I wanna see something.' He obliged, holding out the master sword against hers.  
'I knew it! YES!' She yelled doing a sort of crazy dance around Link.  
'My sword's longer than yours!' Link's face fell as he watched his sister dance out in front of him, showing off the weapon in her hands, but then watched in horror as two large shadows swooped downwards towards her … she hadn't noticed them …

'HIYAAAAAA!' He yelled, launching himself forwards, sword in hand …


	2. Sudden Reversal

The monsters lay, their throats cut, weeping with blood at Link's feet, as he whipped his sword around his body and re-sheathed it.

'That was too close…' Aryll pulled herself to her feet, holding onto her brother for support.  
'We need to save Ilia. Come on.' She dragged Link by the arm to his horse, and motioned for him to mount her.  
He did so, and she jumped on behind him, riding sidesaddle with her legs swinging against the side of the horse.  
Link took a firm grip on the reigns and called for Epona to move, she did so with a loud _neigh_, rearing her front legs upwards in a beautiful pose, before they galloped off together out of Ordon, towards Hyrule Field that glistened with opportunity in front of them.

'Now Linky brother,' Arylll tightened her grip on the horse,  
'Why did you drag away Ilia? Why? Tell me!' Link looked downwards, his gaze resting upon Epona's shimmering mane, his eyes brimming with sadness.  
'Just this once Link, please, _talk_…' He pulled upon the reigns and Epona came to a standstill, jumping off the saddle and fishing a battered piece of paper from his pocket, brandishing it at Arylll as if it were some deadly weapon.  
'What's this?' She asked, unfolding it, and glancing down at the paper. The words began to burn into her mind with a sad vengeance …

_Dear Link,_

_I fear this shall be the last time I ever talk to you, I am, sadly, unbelievably disappointed in you. I wish to never set eyes upon you ever again, I NEVER want to see you back in Ordon, you are to leave my family alone, and place your silly sword back in its sheath and never fight another monster in your lifetime. _

_I thought we had a chance, you and me, I truly thought that you loved me, but now I can see that was a LIE! A dirty stinking LIE! Why didn't you tell me about the princess? I thought it was merely a relationship on behalf of the people, but now I see, you prefer the company of the royal to those of who love you._

_Enjoy your time in hell._

_Ilia._

'LINK!' Arylll yelled, her voice angered.  
'YOU COMPLETE IDIOT!' Link stared up at his sister, who was still sat upon Epona's saddle, his eyes dark.  
'Ok brother I have two questions for you,' She swung herself off the saddle and landed on her two feet, sword drawn, her face angered,  
'And you are _going_ to talk to me. First one,' She placed her sword against Link's neck,  
'_Why_ did Ilia think you loved her?' Link stared at her with those empty eyes, drawing his shoulders into a deep shrug. She sighed, annoyance in her gaze.  
'Second, _what _is going on between you and Zelda? Because if you're not going to tell me, I'm gonna march down to that castle RIGHT NOW and find out. You have five seconds!' Link raised his arms up very slowly as if in surrender.

'FOUR.' He then twisted his hands downwards, looking like a complete idiot.

'THREE.' He leaned forwards slightly, staring intently at Arylll's sword.

'TWO.' He tensed the muscles up in his arms until they bulged almost out of his robes.

'ONE!' As fast as lightening he launched his hands downwards, catching the blade of Arylll's sword in his fingertips, crimson trickling down his arms, and pushed the blade away, ducking under arm and re-saddled Epona from behind, galloping forward as fast as she would go, not even looking behind to see his sister.  
Arylll promptly transformed into her Lynx form and charge after him, madness streaking across her face, snapping at the heels of the horse, but suddenly she stopped, returning to her normal self and sighing.

When they had been small, the two of them, Link and Arylll, had sworn never to marry another, to be free spirits of the wind.

Link had either broken that rule,

Or he had managed somehow to get the wrong picture into Ilia's mind.  
Arylll had to know the truth, something wasn't right here; she could almost smell it.  
She turned back on her heel, pulled a small wooden charm out of her pocket and blew into it, the high-pitched noise loud and ear piercing, whilst a beautiful black horse galloped towards her, whinnying with pleasure.

'Hello Dynva.' She smiled, saddling her easily, and proceeded to gallop the opposite way to Link, towards the castle.  
Now was the time for answers.  
The wind whipped through Arylll's hair as she travelled, speed throwing itself at her, as if mocking her. She couldn't help grinning, the air pounding her in the face in such a familiar way, the horse's rhythmic motions beneath her legs softly familiar.

'I love you.' She muttered, kissing the dark mane as it flew into her face, her one free hand flying to her pocket to pull out Link's letter.  
To her surprise, her face was marked with tears, sadness running over her cheeks,  
'Link, why? Link …' Then, looking up form the paper, castle town fluttered into view, the tall shape of the castle behind it, but again, as almost as if this was the norm now, something wasn't right.  
The drawbridge was up.  
As Dynva's hooves came to a standstill in front of it, Arylll easily slipped off, the paper still in her hand as she stowed it into her pocket.  
She squinted in the harsh sun and saw, to her surprise, two Hylian soldiers stood with spears raised, in front of the bridge, their faces marked with fear, then it hit her like a ton of logs. They were pointed at _her_.  
She walked towards them with her hands raised as if in surrender, calling to them:

'I mean no harm! I am the sister of the Hero of time Link! Well I am also a hero myself, but I bet that doesn't mean anything to you does it? I am sorry but I have been having some troubles with my brother, he is being an ass and I-'

'L-less talk! Come with u-us!' The guard on the right placed his spear against her chest, in a small attempt to be threatening.  
It had no effect whatsoever.

'Hey, you should totally watch what you're doing with that! You could take someone's eye out! And hey, careful of the robes, these are limited edition you kn-' The other guard gave her a hearty push, towards the drawbridge, as it lowered to let them across.  
'What are you doing? I want to know!'

'You are h-hereby wanted by her r-royal highness of Hyrule, for b-b-being associated with the traitor L-Link!' Arylll's jaw dropped, her fierce struggling coming to a still.

'What did my brother do?' The guards remained silent, pushing her like she was their prey towards the doors upon the other side of the bride, digging their spears into her back. 'TELL ME!'

'L-Link tried to assassinate the princess!' Aryllll found it hard to stay standing up.

'WHAT?' She screamed, struggling in the grip of the soldiers, suddenly more of them, a glistening army of silver and red, surged upon her like a giant snake, bonding her wrists and ankles, half dragging her through the cobbled square of market town.  
The residents peered from behind half closed shutters as Arylll roared and screeched, her voice echoing off the buildings around her.  
The rope dug into her skin, causing pain too blossom up her joints, she bit into the restraint in her mouth so hard that it snapped, her cries becoming almost unbearable for the men around her.

'IF YOU THINK FOR ONE MINUTE THAT I AM GOING TO COME QUIETLY, THEN YOU HAVE GOT IT WRONG!' She roared, kicking out at the guards.  
No effect.  
This was bad, very, _very,_ bad. Eventually she was brought into a cold dark cell somewhere within the castle, still bound together, her shoulders aching from movement.  
The darkness was absolute, making no difference whether her eyes were open or shut, but suddenly there was light! Air! Sweet oxygen! And a soothing familiar voice…


End file.
